Their Melody
by Diana Raven
Summary: Modern!AU Levy McGarden has just moved to Death City with her fiance when she forces him to participate in a local talent show. It took everything Maka Albarn had to drag Soul to the talent show at Fairy Tail, a bar not far from their apartment.


Gajeel wouldn't have even walked into the bar today unless Levy had specifically asked him to. But she did. This was why he was now standing awkwardly in a crowded bar where tone-deaf musicians with no brain cells tried to compose some semblance of music. Gajeel slumped against the stage picking at his guitar strings. He and his fiancée, Levy McGarden, had just moved to Death City, and she wanted him to be more… _out there_. Gajeel didn't want to be out there. She had found a bar near their apartment and she had decided to socialize there regularly. Apparently some of the teachers who lived off campus of her work went there, and some of the students worked there. Despite all of Levy's nagging, Gajeel had never set foot in the place. Until today.

Levy had found out that Fairy Tail was having a talent show, and decided that this would be a great way to introduce Gajeel to the community. Back home Gajeel wouldn't have cared if Levy had signed him up for something like this. But this was a new state, a new city, and a new bar. As much as he hated to admit it, he kind of missed his relatives back in Denish. But Levy hadn't just asked him, Levy had _pleaded_ he at least _go_. So he would _go_ , and then he wouldn't win and he would go home. That was his plan, and Gajeel Redfox wasn't known to be easily swayed.

The plucking of guitar strings turned into some sort of tune and a similar harmonizing tune caught his ears. Gajeel glanced up over in the corner where some kid was picking at his piano. The melody which he plucked out was being jazzed up. Gajeel wasn't the biggest fan of Jazz. As he began to play, putting more than just a melody into the music, he watched the kid.

It was a teenager, a boy, his white hair fell over his eyes in messy spikes when he played. He was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but the shirt had some words on it that Gajeel couldn't read from far away. He'd just have to get closer. The more steps he took towards the boy the heavier he strums became, the more metal he poured into the song the more Jazz the kid threw in.

He struck a final cord and the kid did the same. Gajeel stood at the end of the boy's piano bench now. The kid looked up, the slitted red eyes struck Gajeel. It was like looking into an anti-aging white-haired mirror. The kid grinned toothily, his sharp incisors showcased. Gajeel grinned back, his smile wolf-like.

"Nice playin', for an old man." The kid complimented. He scooted to the end of the piano bench and Gajeel shook his head. The man pulled up a chair instead and sat in that, the kid scooted back.

"Not bad yerself, fer som'un inta Jazz."

"Not my fault you old people have horrible music taste."

Gajeel laughed. He liked this kid. He held out his hand to the boy, "Gajeel Redfox."

"Soul Evans."

* * *

Maka stretched, and closed her book. "Hey Mira, can I have a Shirley Temple?"

"Sure thing, hun. Haven't seen you in a while." The white-haired bartender raised a thin white eyebrow. "Seen your dad."

 _Of course you did_. Maka thought bitterly. _Probably saw his next hooker too_. Mira leaned against the bar, with a sad expression.

"What's wrong, hun?" She asked the girl.

Maka sighed, she spun herself on the barstool. "Papa's cheating made him loose Mama and he keeps doing it. It's like he doesn't care…"

"Aww! I'm sorry, hun, I-"

"Hey Mira!" A woman interrupted. She took a second to hop onto the stool which was taller than her waist. "Can I have a beer please?"

"Your usual?"

"Yes please."

"Coming right up."

Maka Albarn studied the woman. She was short, her legs kicked gaily as they hung from the stool. She had wavy blue hair that reminded Maka of her friend Black Star. She wore the faculty sweatshirt from the DWMA, how could she have gotten one of those? Even Maka's Papa wouldn't lend her his. Wait! Did that mean that this short woman in front of Maka was a teacher at school? Maka looked down at her own choice of apparel. She had changed at home before dragging Soul out to Fairy Tail for the auditions. She wore a yellow sweater over blue jeans, unlike her usual school clothes.

The other woman seemed to have noticed Maka. She held out her hand, smiling. "I'm Levy McGarden, you look a little young to be drinking."

On cue, Mira delivered the drinks. "Here's your Shirley Temple, Maka, and your beer, Levy."

"Thanks." The girls replied in unison.

Maka giggled. "Maka Albarn. You work at DWMA?" She asked.

Levy nodded. "We moved about a month ago, and I started working there. I'm one of the secretaries."

"Oh, that explains why I haven't seen you before." Secretaries almost never left their offices, and Maka almost never needed to go to the office. Maka took a sip of her drink. Levy's hazel eyes widened.

"You're a student there?"

"Yeah."

"Wait… Maka Albarn… Your dad isn't Spirit Albarn by any chance is he?"

A furious blush colored Maka's cheeks. "You know Papa?"

Levy let out a sly laugh. " _Everyone_ knows your father. He welcomed me very warmly on my first day."

Maka put her face in her hands from embarrassment. "Y-you- He didn't…"

Levy laughed. "Oh no," she wiggled her fingers, on one of which an enormous diamond resided, the band made of some type of dark colored metal.

Maka shrugged. "Hasn't stopped him before."

"Oh, I bet it hasn't. But I'm pretty devoted." The woman nudged Maka, glancing at the book that Maka had pushed aside a few minutes earlier. "Good book?"

Maka's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! It's called _The Dragon Slayers_ , ever heard of it?"

Levy ran her fingers over the spine. " _The Dragon Slayers_ , huh? By Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Yeah."

"She's my best friend, you know."

Maka's mouth dropped open. "No way!"

"Yes way. She actually said she might be coming into town soon for a signing, we're going to meet for lunch. Want me to get your copy signed?"

"You would? Of course! I'd love that!" Then a chill traveled up Maka's spine as a familiar melody reached her ears. Maka turned around to see Soul playing the piano.

Levy followed her gaze. "Who's that?"

"That's Soul, my roommate."

"Is he here for the talent show?" Levy took a sip of her beer.

"Yeah. But it was sort of against his will… I mean not _against_ against his will, just, well, he never gets out of the house and he loves to play and he's _really_ good at it so I figured-"

"You signed him up and had to drag him here?" Levy asked as though she'd heard it before.

"You too?"

Levy pointed to an enormous black haired man. The guy was sitting at the end of the stage strumming an electric guitar. Piercings covered his face and arms, long shaggy black hair seemed to crawl down his back. He wore ratty jeans with stains on them and a black tank top, which displayed his rippling biceps.

" _So_ … that's the Gajeel we've all been hearing about!" A high-pitched voice behind them said. Maka jumped. She had forgotten that Mirajane was there.

"Huh?" Maka asked.

"He's my fiancé. I've been coming here lately to get to know the community and this is Gajeel's first time. I had to drag him screaming and kicking from the house."

"Actually?"

"No. But there was a lot of swearing and grumbling."

"Hey wait a second." Maka said. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the horrible racket being made by the other so-called musicians as they tried to practice and focused on Soul's playing. He was modifying the melody to harmonize with something. Then she heard the counterpart, the strumming.

"Well would you look at that." Mirajane said with a very not innocent smile. "Looks like your boys have noticed each other."

Indeed they had. Gajeel continued playing as he loomed over Soul. Then the two struck the final note of the song and began talking. With all the racket and the people, neither Levy nor Maka could see what they were saying.

"Huh."

"Well at least they seem to be getting along." Levy added.

"How can you tell?"

"You can't hear Gajeel's voice from here."

A small semi-bald man with white hair on the sides of his head and over his upper lip, also known as Mr. Makarov Dreyer, walked onto the stage. He stood on the stool and bent down the microphone so his dwarfed body could be seen and heard.

"Welcome everyone! I would like to thank all that made today possible. Mirajane in the back there!" Clapping ensued, Mira waved to the full bar. "Jet and Droy who held with equipment." More clapping. "But I know you're all dying to start the show, so let it begin! And don't forget to buy loads of merchandise from the bar; we all need to make a living people." The last sentence warranted some laughs from the slightly drunk audience.

"First up, oh, it looks like there's been some changes to the schedule. So first up, Gajeel Redfox and Soul Evans!"

The crowd cheered and a mystified Maka exchanged an equally puzzled look with the similarly confused Levy.

Soul and Gajeel dragged themselves onto the stage and Soul cracked his knuckles while Gajeel spoke into the mic. "This is fer two lovely ladies out there. This is Maka and Levy's Melody." And the two began to play.


End file.
